Why do we fall?
by anonymous1845
Summary: When a mission goes wrong, Nightwing is left damaged and the Team gets a glimpse into his past. I promise the story is better than the summary. Rated T for mental and physical injuries.
1. When Everything Falls

_I can't disarm the bomb. It's going off in thirty seconds. Everyone move to the rendezvous point, _Nightwing thought thankful for the psychic link. The flashlight in his mouth rendered him unable to speak as he closed the panel on the bomb. As he stood he put it back in his belt.

"Let's go Artemis." He turned to the blond girl next to him. They sprinted to the ladder and climbed to the next level of the rusted tower. On the rooftops around them they could see Superboy and Beast Boy leaping from building to building; Superboy was leaping as far as he could, taking three buildings at a time, while Beast Boy ran just behind him as a deer. Miss Martian and Zatana were flying low over the ground taking out whatever goons remained. A hundred yards away, they could see the flat topped building where they were meeting. "You think you can make that shot?" Nightwing asked.

"Oh yeah." She said confidently. Artemis raised her bow, taking aim at the raised portion of the building roof. She loosed her arrow taking a metal cable with it. Her aim was true and the arrow stuck fast.

"Now let's get out of here before this place blows." Nightwing attached his device specifically designed for zip-lining to the cable; Artemis rearranged her bow to do the same. With the confidence that only came from constantly flying through the air, Nightwing jumped from the tower, sliding at top speed to safety on the roof. Artemis followed. Half way down the line the bomb went off. "Artemis!"

The tower pitched to the side crumbling as fire and thick black smoke spread through it. The wire went slack and Artemis started falling towards the ground, her momentum still propelling her forward. She screamed and reached out her hand to Nightwing. He started to reach toward her; his mind went numb and he froze, watching as she fell beyond his line of sight.


	2. As He Falls Apart

Superboy watched in horror as the bomb blew with Artemis still hanging from the zip-line. When Nightwing didn't move, he launched himself from the roof. In a matter of moments he was wrapping his arm around Artemis and grabbing the side of the building, his strength lending him a handhold in the concrete. Kicking his feet into the wall, he climbed to the roof. When he reached the top, M'Gann and Zatana had flown to the roof. M'Gann had Gar in a fierce hug. Gently Superboy set the shaking Artemis on the ground and crouched next to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked looking at her slightly pale face.

"My shoulder hurts a little… a lot but I'll live." She held her left arm tenderly against her chest.

"We'll be back at the cave soon. I'll tell M'Gann to call the bioship." He got up and turned to find the Martian yelling at Nightwing who was still sitting on the ground.

"What's wrong with you? You could have saved Artemis! You just sat there and Connor had to leave Gar alone. What could have happened if there were more bombs, or goons! He could have been killed!" Her eyes were glowing green with anger. "We had partners for a reason. It was your idea and you couldn't take care of yours…."

She continued yelling. Nightwing never said a word and never looked up from the ground. Connor could see him squeezing his eyes shut and his hands slowly moved to the sides of his head. He was wincing at every harsh word.

"M'Gann?" Superboy stepped forward. She ignored him and continued her verbal assault. "M'Gann stop!" he yelled. She turned on the Kryptonian, but he was already brushing passed her to kneel next to Nightwing. "Nightwing?" He set his hand on the younger boys shoulder. His eyes were open but he stared right through Connor.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't save her." The words came out of his mouth in a rush.

"She's fine. Artemis is okay."

"It's my fault she fell. She just keeps falling." Nightwing's fingers tightened their hold on his head.

"Nightwing?" He realized he wasn't talking to him. "M'Gann call the ship. Now."

"What's wrong?" her earlier anger was now replaced with concern. The ship landed next to them opening the hatch for them to get inside.

"I don't know." He grabbed Nightwing around the shoulders and under his knees and lifted him into his arms. He was easy to carry, but he was heavier than Superboy remembered him being. He followed the others into the ship. The wall of the ship produced a bed where he laid Nightwing down. He sat in his seat letting the safety belts wrap around him. "Get back to the cave. I'm calling Batman."


	3. The Bird Falls From the Sky

Batman stood scowling at the monitor, watching the news report of the bombing at the communications tower. He made a mental note to get a detailed description of the bomb from Nightwing so they weren't left unprepared in case of another bombing. The rest of the League were milling around the room waiting for their apprentices to come home. Kid Flash was still running his mouth about how bummed he was about missing the adventure with the Team, but taking out bank robbers with his uncle was just as much fun.

Batman sighed wondering how long this could continue when his communicator beeped and he looked at his wrist expecting the call from Nightwing.

"Superboy? Where's Nightwing?" he was immediately concerned, but he didn't show it.

"We're coming in now." Superboy signed off and the screen went blank.

The man growled. The clone's lack of information irritated him, but he when to the landing bay to meet the team. The bioship was opening. Artemis was coming out looking pale, escorted by a sad looking M'Gann. Garfield was wringing his hands, a worried look on his face; he seemed even more agitated when he saw The Dark Knight, bat glare in place. The boy was unusually quiet.

"Batman." Zatana walked down the ramp. "Something happened."

"I saw the news. The bomb was detonated."

"Yes, but-", she stopped when Superboy exited the ship with Nightwing cradled in his arms.

"Get Canary and Manhunter to the med bay." He said. He motioned for Superboy to follow him. Once in the sterile white room Superboy laid Nightwing on the clean medical bed. Batman quickly looked over his son. "Where is he injured?"

"I don't know. He's been like that since the explosion." He nodded at the boy who was holding his head in his hands. "He… he started screaming halfway home."

"Connor go wait with the others. Tell Artemis that Barry is coming to fix her arm." Black Canary walked into the room closely followed by Martian Manhunter, and to Batman's irritation, Green Arrow and Superman.

Superboy knew better than to argue with the woman. Superman put a gentle hand on his shoulder before the clone turned and left. When the door was firmly shut, Batman reached up and pulled the cowl from his head.

"Dick, tell me what's wrong." He unfolded his arms from his face and peeled the boy's domino mask off; he found his dark blue eyes filled with pain. "Dinah help me."

"Hold him up." Canary said. Batman grabbed the boy's shoulders and pulled him up; Canary found the hidden clasps in the back and pulled his uniform down to his waist. She turned the heart monitor on next to her, placing the sensors near his collarbone and on his ribs. The machine began beeping erratically in time with his heart. "His heart rate is high. I don't see any injuries but he could have internal damage."

"No." Superman's gaze was trained on Nightwing's chest. "No broken bones either."

"Bruce." Nightwing's voice was shaking and a tear spilled from his eye. "Please. Please make it stop."

"I'm here Dick. Tell me where it hurts." Nightwing cringed and grabbed at his head again. "J'onn?" He turned his head to look at the man who already had his eyes closed in concentration.

"There are walls in his mind. They are not of his creation. The touch is familiar." He opened his eyes.

"Simon?" Green Arrow asked. J'onn just shook his head. It was all Bruce needed to hear. Pausing only long enough to replace his cowl, he turned and dashed out the door almost knocking over a concerned Wonder Woman.

"Bruce?" he didn't stop at her question. He raced down the short hall to the living room where the members of the Team and the League were waiting.

"Batman, what's wrong with-"Garfield started to ask when Batman grabbed M'Gann by the neck of her cape and slammed her into the nearest wall.

"What did you do? What did you do to my son?" His yell was laced with a growl making it all the more terrifying. M'Gann grabbed at his wrists.

"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything!" she cried.

"Don't lie to me!" he slammed her into the wall again.

"Batman stop! You're hurting her." Flash put a hand on the angry man's shoulder.

"Tell me what happened!" Batman ignored the speedster and tightened his hold on the frightened girl. At that moment an alarm went off down the hall. The lights flashed and a high pitched continuous beep could be heard from the medical bay. Batman released the now crying M'Gann and ran back the way he had come. Wonder Woman was coming out of the room when the black clad man crashed into her.

"Batman-"

"Dick!" Batman yelled. Over the Amazon's shoulder he could see the heart monitor flat lining; Black Canary was breathing into his ward's mouth. After three breaths she put her hands together and pressed on his chest, working the air into his lungs. Batman fought the vice like grip Wonder Woman had on him. "Let go Diana! I have to help him." He continued to thrash.

"Batman! Batman! Bruce!" She said his name forcefully enough to make him look at her. "Dinah and J'onn are doing everything they can. Whatever is going on in his head put too much stress on his body. His heart is giving out. The best thing you can do for him is try to stay calm and pray."

"To who?" he snarled. "There are only two people in this world I know I can _always_ put my faith in and one of them is dying right behind you. I can't just stand here and watch."

"Bruce, please." She held his face in her hands and looked him in the eyes. He sighed in defeat and pulled away from her. She looked at him sadly before guiding him to the large window that made up the wall of the medical bay; he could see everything from here. "All of you go back to the living room." She barked the order at the Team who stood at the end of the hall. When they had gone, Batman reached up and removed his cowl once more. His eyes were full of tears but he didn't let a single one fall. He leaned his forehead against the glass and watched as Black Canary continued her attempts at resuscitating his son.


	4. The Ground Falls From Beneath Your Feet

Black Canary raised her head from the boy's mouth gasping for air herself. She pressed on his chest counting the sixth set of compressions in her head. _1, 2, 3, 4… _

"Dinah…" she felt Superman's large hand on her shoulder. "I can't hear his heart anymore. There's nothing more you can do."

She let out a shaky sob at his words. She looked at the man next to her; his eyes were sad, tear tracks lining his cheeks. Sobbing again, she raised a hand to her mouth trying to hold back the defeated sound. When she looked away from Superman she caught sight of Bruce at the window. She couldn't hear him through the thick walls but it was clear he was screaming. Diana was pulling the devastated man into her arms as he dropped to his knees. Tears were rolling down her face as he buried his in her shoulder.

Unable to look at him anymore she looked down at the boy on the bed. His eyes were closed, his mouth still open, waiting for the next breath she forced into him. She could feel cold hands wrapping around her heart at the thought of never seeing his lips pulled into his impish smile, hearing his cackle like laugh (something she had hoped he would never grow out of), or never seeing his bright blue eyes light up with mischief.

"No. No!" she shook Superman's heavy hand off. Steadying herself she brought her fist down on Nightwing's chest. His body jolted with the impact. She repeated the action several times, not stopping even when she heard the snap of his cracking ribs.

"Dinah-", Green Arrow started.

"Shut up Oliver!" she brought her fist down once more. When she raised her hand preparing for another hit, the monitor next to her beeped. She stopped and looked at the machine. It was registering a heartbeat. "Clark?" Before she could get conformation from the man, Nightwing gasped and coughed.

"He's alive!" Green Arrow exclaimed.

"Dick?" Black Canary grabbed his face forcing him to look at her. The boy's eyes hadn't opened.

"The walls are still in place." J'onn stepped forward and laid his hand on Nightwing's forehead. His eye's fluttered for a moment before he stilled once more. "I will keep him sedated until the damage can be repaired. I must first find out what was done."


	5. Falling Through a Black Hole

J'onn opened the door and stepped into the hall. Bruce was still on the floor with Diana. His expression was hard to read but everything about his posture said relief. He looked at the pair a second more before walking swiftly to the living room. There he found the Team and the remaining members of the League. Aquaman and Aqualad had just arrived from Atlantis; Red Tornado was explaining the situation to them. Wally was wrapped in his uncle's arm, his face buried in the tall man's chest in an attempt to hide his tears. Zatana and Superboy were sitting on the couch, both of them with their arms around Garfield. Artemis sat in one of the arm chairs looking sick with a sling holding her left arm. M'Gann was leaning against the closest wall tears streaming down her face. At his arrival the League members looked at him questioningly.

"Nightwing has been revived." There was a collective sigh around the room.

"What was wrong with him? I never saw him get hit on the mission." Gar asked. Superboy's eyes narrowed.

_Ask M'Gann, _he sent the thought directly to J'onn.

"I am going to connect to all of your minds. Think about the mission. I need you to show me what happened."

"Us." Batman's dark voice said. He had appeared silently as always. His cowl was placed on his head, his face pulled into an emotionless mask.

J'onn just nodded before casting out his mind to the others. He watched as the mission went successfully until Nightwing was unable to defuse the bomb. From there he watched as the team saw the explosion, Artemis falling, Nightwing frozen, and M'Gann's angry onslaught. He pushed farther venturing into M'Gann's memory.

He saw Nightwing sitting on the ground through her eyes.

"_What's wrong with you? You could have saved Artemis! You just sat there and Connor had to leave Gar alone…"_

_How could he be so careless? He doesn't know what it's like losing family. He doesn't know how I feel!_

_All the while Nightwing clutched at his head wincing at her words._

He retreated back into his own mind, understanding now. Batman was just storming passed him towards M'Gann when he put his arm out to stop him.

_Calm yourself my friend. She does not know. _He projected the thought. Batman gritted his teeth but took a step back.

"Take care of my boy, J'onn." Manhunter nodded before turning to his task.


	6. Watching Them Fall All Over Again

"Wally? I think Artemis needs a hug." The Flash's voice was a low whisper in his nephew's ear.

"Really?" Wally pulled his face from his uncle's chest.

"Really." He gave him one last reassuring squeeze before releasing him. Sighing, Wally wiped the tears from his face before making his way over to the archer. He avoided looking at Batman who was standing in the middle of the room.

"Artemis?" when she looked up at him he dropped down next to her chair and hugged her, careful of her injured arm. She didn't protest as he'd expected but leaned into his embrace. When he pulled back he looked at her face. "How's your shoulder? Uncle Barry said you dislocated it."

"Yeah. I almost think popping it back into place hurt more. He said I will be out of commission for a while. I think I passed out for a minute."

"You do look a little greener than usual." Artemis smiled a little at his joke. "Can I get you anything?"

She just shook her head. A few tears leaked from her eyes. "Did I do this to him?" Everyone in the room looked at her.

"What?" Aqualad had claimed his spot in the other chair next to them.

"He got like this after I fell! What if all of this is my fault? He's already died for a minute because of me." She was sobbing now.

"No. No Artemis you didn't do anything wrong." Wally pulled her into another hug. Aqualad placed his webbed hand on the girl's back as the rest of the team gathered around them. Beast Boy shifted into a cat and climbed into her lap purring.

"Uncle J'onn doesn't know what happened yet. It could be anything but I'm sure it wasn't your fault." M'Gann said.

"Nightwing's mind has been tampered with psychically." Batman growled.

"What do you mean? Was Simon at the communication center?" Wally asked turning to look at Batman.

"No." Batman's glare was trained on M'Gann.

"You think M'Gann did this to him?" Wally was appalled by the thought.

"I love Nightwing like a brother. I would never do anything to hurt him." She cried.

"Not intentionally." Manhunter had returned.

"J'onn, how is he?" if Wally hadn't known better he could have sworn a bit of eagerness had crept into Batman's voice.

"I have set his mind back to its original state. I am going to keep him sedated to give it time to heal." J'onn turned his gaze on M'Gann. "As soon as Nightwing is well, I want to increase your training."

"Am I the only one who is confused?" Wally exclaimed. "Why do you all think M'Gann did this?" He looked around the room frantically.

"Because she did. She lost control when she was yelling at Nightwing." Superboy said.

"I… I… What did I do?" M'Gann had a horrified look on her face.

"When Artemis fell it triggered a memory for Nightwing and he froze. Your fear for Garfield and your anger at him caused you to lose control of your powers. You inadvertently placed walls in his mind that made him see that memory on a continuous loop. The stress this put on his body led to his temporary heart failure."

"You knew that it was my fault before. That's why…" she put a hand up to her neck and looked at Batman. "Oh. Batman I'm so sorry-"

"You can apologize to him when he wakes up." Batman cut her off.

"What was the memory?" Wally asked. He was putting the pieces together and thought he knew. J'onn looked at Batman for permission. When he nodded he closed his eyes. A moment later Wally was watching as a man and woman on a set of trapeze came towards him. The wire snapped. The woman reached out a hand, eyes widening in fear. A small pale hand reached toward her as the couple fell. Wally was pulled back to the present just before they hit the ground. He nodded his head having recognized the story Dick had told him years before.

"What was that?" Zatana asked. Wally looked around the room seeing looks of realization on the League's faces and confusion from the team. Batman met Wally's eyes silently telling him to explain.

He took a deep breath. "That was the night he watched his parents die."


	7. Letting the Walls Fall Down

Watching Nightwing lay there was the hardest thing M'Gann had ever done. Not even the anguish she had felt after her break up with Connor could measure up to what she felt now. His dark hair was a mess. His eyes were covered by the ever present domino mask, oxygen tubes protruding from his nose and wrapping around his cheeks. Black and purple bruises bloomed from beneath the white bandages around his chest and torso. An IV was stuck in his right hand. Overall, he was in a state she had never wanted to see the lively young man in. From her seat on the left side of his bed she stretched out a hand and wrapped her fingers gently around his hand.

"I'm sorry I did this to you." She whispered. She wasn't sure if he could hear her in his comatose state, but it always worked out in the Earth movies she had watched with similar situations. "I was just scared and afraid. I wasn't really angry at you. That memory was so sad and you had to relive it over and over so many times." She sniffed and wiped her free hand under her nose.

"I hope you can forgive me but I understand if you can't. Batman was so angry; he loves you so much. When Uncle J'onn showed us that memory I was so surprised. The two of you are so alike in so many ways, and the way he treats you. I actually thought that you were Batman's son."

"He is my son in every way that counts." M'Gann jumped and turned in her seat. Batman was standing just behind and to the left of her. The man's face was guarded as usual. When he put his hand on M'Gann's shoulder her eyes widened at the unfamiliar show of feeling. "I am sorry for before. Nightwing would be ashamed of the way I treated you; you are not the only one to lose control today."

"Batman I am so sorry and angry with myself. If there was any way I could take this back, make it better-"

"You must understand that Nightwing is all I have. If I were to lose him like I almost did today… Nothing can make that feeling go away." M'Gann looked away, unable to meet his eyes. "But I cannot stand at my son's bedside, seeing him and you like this, and not forgive you."

She looked back up at him. "Thank you." She wiped a tear from her eye. "No I have to wait and see if he forgives me; I don't know if I can ever forgive myself for this."

Batman lifted his hand from her shoulder and circled the bed, sitting in the chair on Nightwing's other side.

"He was only seven years old when he lost his parents. When he came to live with me he was so quiet and scared. He had nightmares for weeks. I would wake, on the nights I wasn't patrolling Gotham, hearing him screaming. I would run to his room fearing that The Joker or some other villain had eluded me and followed me home. But there he would be; this tiny child in a bed that was too big, seeing his parent's death over in his mind. He blamed himself for so long, thinking that if he could have just grabbed his mother's hand, everything would have been okay, different." Batman paused and looked at her. "When he comes out of this he is going to find some way to blame himself over what happened to Artemis. Blame is vicious. Artemis already thinks this is her fault for the bomb going off, and you think it's yours for being young and emotional. He is going to need all of you together to help him get back on his feet again after this.

You cannot blame yourself M'Gann because he will not blame you."


	8. Falling Tears

It had been three days and he hadn't moved; in all that time Batman had barely strayed from his side. Wonder Woman brought him trays of food he didn't touch. Green Arrow had come in trying to coax the man into talking, thinking some kind of reprimand was better than his stoic silence. And every once in a while a member of the Team would stop in, just to check for progress.

It was during one of those precious moments of silence that Nightwing opened his eyes.

Bruce was sitting in the chair by his bed. Despite his best efforts, he had fallen asleep, his head lolling onto his chest. Even in sleep he was alert.

"Bruce." He jerked his head up at Dick's quiet voice. When he saw the boy looking at him, he stood up and leaned over him.

"Hey. You're awake." Even for a man of few words, he was at a loss for what to say to his son.

"Can you help me sit up?" Dick blinked up at him.

"Yeah." Bruce smiled and grabbed him under his arms. He pulled him into a sitting position as gently as he could. "How do you feel?"

"My chest hurts." Dick was rubbing the bandages around his torso. "Bruce… did I die?"

He felt his throat tighten at the question. Carefully, he sat down on the edge of the bed. He stared at the blanket for a moment looking for words.

"I don't think I've thanked Dinah for bringing you back." He set a hand over the spot where Nightwing's ribs had cracked. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Yes. Is Artemis okay?" Batman had expected this line of questioning.

"She dislocated her left shoulder when the tower fell. Other than that she's fine."

"Is she mad at me?" He expected this one too and just shook his head. "And M'Gann?"

"I scared her, but M'Gann is mostly worried about you."

"I'm not mad at her."

"She knows. I told her as much." He paused. "What about you? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Dick wouldn't meet his eyes, but he could see him biting his lip to keep the tears welling in his eyes from falling.

"Hey." He put a hand on each side of his face, forcing his head up. "It's okay." He wiped the first few tears away with his thumbs before pulling his son against his chest. His heart broke at the sound of his quiet sob.

Holding him like that brought him back to the little boy clinging tightly to a teddy bear that was almost bigger than he was, letting tears soak into his shirt.

"It was so much worse than the nightmares." Dick's voice was almost a whisper. His hands tightened their hold on the thick Kevlar of Batman's vest.

"I'm sorry." He stroked the boy's short hair and rubbed soothing circles across his back. The action was small, but he knew it was affective from the many times he'd done it before; it also came highly recommended by Alfred.

"It's like I was there again, like it was actually happening, not just a memory. I felt so helpless." He seemed to be choking on the words.

"I know…" Bruce swallowed hard, finding it difficult to speak. "It's hard losing someone, and it hurts now. But we both know it won't always be this bad." He gently pulled Dick away from him. "It will get better."

"How?" Dick wiped at his eyes. "I don't know how to get through this again."

Bruce stared at him. His brilliant blue eyes were wet and bloodshot. He looked so devastated, tears stung at his own eyes and spilled down his cheeks. The thought that he had almost lost the most important thing in his world was unbearable.

"You just have to find something to live for." Dick blinked at him a few more times before diving in for another hug. He let out a sob of his own before returning the hug. "If you ever scare me like that again, Alfred will never let us here the end of it."

**I want to thank everyone for their reviews. It means a lot to have people enjoy what I write. I am working on part 9 right now and I will have it up soon.**


	9. Falling Into Place

"Connor?" He looked away from the static on the TV at the sound of his name. Zatana was looking at him expectantly.

"What?" He had missed her question; the sounds down the hall had distracted him.

"I asked if you thought he was going to be okay."

"Nightwing is tough. He'll pull through." He half smiled at Zatana reassuringly. He looked around the room; the other members of the Team were lounging around the living room, attempting to keep themselves busy. Wally was throwing a ball for Wolf. Gar had shifted into a wolf and was playing as well. Kaldur was reading as usual. He would look up on occasion to look at whatever new dish M'Gann had brought from the kitchen. Artemis was half asleep on the couch with her legs across Connor's lap. Zatana had a spell book propped open on her knees. "Don't look so glum guys. He is going to be okay."

"How do you know?" M'Gann had appeared from the kitchen. She was holding a large tray of cookies, he hands safely wrapped in double thick rose printed potholders.

"I heard-", Connor started.

"You guys look totally whelmed." All at once they all looked towards the hall. Nightwing was standing there, one hand against the wall. His uniform had been replaced with a pair of soft loose fitting pants and shirt that buttoned up the front; ever present, his sunglasses were positioned over his eyes.

"Di-Buddy!" Wally shouted so loud Artemis sat up fully awake. He got up from the floor and flashed over to Nightwing's side. He started to hug him then stopped. "How broken are you?"

Connor flinched at Wally's choice of words, but Nightwing just smiled. "Not broken enough to refuse a hug."

"Good." Wally threw his arms around his friend's shoulders and hugged him. The hug was obviously tight and Connor detected the slightest movement of Nightwing's arms to cover his ribs. He thought it was odd.

"Leave some hug for the rest of us." Gar shifted into a squirrel and climbed up Wally's back. Standing on his shoulder, he hugged the side of Nightwing's head and nuzzled his ear. Zatana laughed and joined the hug.

When they had released him, Kaldur put a hand on his shoulder. "It is good to see you well my friend."

"It's good to be out of bed." He looked around the room and caught M'Gann's eye. She opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off. "It's okay. I heard everything." He gave her a knowing look and she just nodded at him, wiping a few tears from her eyes. He walked slowly over to the couch where Artemis and Connor were sitting. "Scoot."

Artemis moved her legs and Connor slid to the next cushion. Nightwing sat down between them. He turned and looked at Artemis.

"You okay?" Artemis asked the question before he could.

"I'll live." He put his right hand on her shoulder. "Sorry about your arm."

"I'll live." She echoed. She smiled and they hugged each other gently. When he turned to look at Connor he looked a little confused.

"You don't seem… surprised."

"I heard you coming down the hall." Connor smiled one of his rare full smiles.

"Oh, yeah. Super hearing." He seemed struck by something. "You didn't hear-"

"I know when I'm not supposed to listen." Connor had figured out a long time ago not to listen when Batman and Nightwing were alone; it was a lesson Batman had made sure he learned, with extensive training on controlling that particular ability.

"Right. Um, thanks for that… and before." Nightwing looked like he wanted to hug him as well, but Connor's hugs were just about as rare as his smiles.

"Come here." Connor put his arms out and gave him a quick hug. They were all quiet for a minute until a grumbling broke the silence.

"Wally, are you really that hungry already? You just ate a four course meal half an hour ago!" Artemis exclaimed.

"That wasn't me!" he replied.

"Um… I think that was me actually." Nightwing rubbed the back of his neck looking embarrassed. He raised his right hand; it was covered by a small bandage. "I've been on an intravenous diet for three days. I'm starving."

M'Gann burst out laughing. "I'll get you some food. Do you want anything special?"

Nightwing thought for a moment. "You know, a stew of some kind would be nice. Black Canary told me not to push the solids too much just yet."

"Okay, one stew coming up." M'Gann floated away eager to get back to the kitchen.

"Stew?" Connor asked.

"What? A bowl of stew always makes me feel better, especially with a piece of bread." He said it so matter-of-factly Connor couldn't help but smile again.


	10. Falling Asleep

"Here's your stew." M'Gann came back with a steaming bowl. She handed it to Nightwing. Artemis stared into the bowl.

_It actually looks good,_ she thought. Carrots, potatoes, and peas bobbed around a brown broth. Chunks of beef had been torn into strings. Nightwing took a spoonful and blew on it before putting it in his mouth. He swallowed then closed his eyes, sighing.

"Köszönöm. Ez tökéletes." Nightwing said and looked at M'Gann. On Nightwing's other side Artemis could see Connor's eyes widening.

"What did you just say?" Artemis asked as Wally leaned over the back of the couch. Nightwing was hungrily spooning mouthful after mouthful of the stew into his mouth. He used the piece of crusted bread M'Gann handed him to scrape the bowl clean. When he finished M'Gann took the bowl from him.

"He said, 'Thank you.'" M'Gann said. "Psychic translation helps sometimes." She smiled and floated back to the kitchen with Nightwing's dish.

"What language was that?" Artemis asked. She knew Nightwing had a ridiculously extensive knowledge of languages thanks to Batman, but she had never heard that particular one before.

"It's Hungarian." Nightwing leaned back into his seat, and Artemis had to turn a little to keep looking at him. "It's my first language."

"It seems not all of your knowledge comes from Batman then." Kaldur had sat back down and picked up his book again.

"Where are you from anyway?" Gar had resumed his human— or human-ish –form. Nightwing suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"Too many questions kid." Wally ruffled Gar's hair. "Batman's rules."

"Oh, right. Sorry Nightwing."

"It's alright." Nightwing started to shrug but stopped.

_That was odd,_ Artemis thought. _He usually just lets those happen. Except… Is Batman in here?_ Her eyes darted around the room, but she didn't see any hint of the Dark Knight; she hadn't expected to considering if he didn't want to be seen not even Superboy could find him, x-ray vision and all.

"You two are such a mystery." M'Gann had come back. Artemis could tell she was teasing Nightwing.

"That's the point." Nightwing smiled. "It freaks the villains out."

"But we aren't villains!" Gar exclaimed.

"You should have taught some of those scare tactics to Red. My sister didn't seem freaked out enough." Artemis mumbled.

"It's not her fault Roy picked up on my awesome flirting skills." Wally commented.

"Yay that's why they're married. It's all because of your skills." Artemis snorted.

"Well they worked on you." He smiled and leaned towards her.

"Whoa. Guys I'm sitting right here." Nightwing shrank away from them.

"Sorry." Artemis blushed.

"You guys are all weird." Gar said. He shifted into a sparrow and landed on Nightwing's head. He hopped a few times then leaned forward over his head. He was looking at Nightwing upside down; he turned his head to the side, looking every bit the curious little bird. Nightwing smiled. He laughed for a second then stopped.

"Ow!" He cringed and his arms folded in around him.

"Are you okay?" Artemis put her good arm out and laid her hand against his shoulder. Nightwing just gasped.

"Hey! Breathe!" Connor had grabbed him gently by the shoulders. Nightwing sucked in another shaky breath; he held it for a moment then let it out slowly. "One more."

"What's wrong with him?" Gar had flown off Nightwing's head. He was standing on the other side of the couch.

Nightwing was still breathing slowly. Sweat had broken out across his forehead. After a few more breaths his face relaxed a little. "I'm not… really feeling… the aster right now."

"His ribs are broken." Connor said quietly.

"Ouch." Wally winced in sympathy.

"When did that happen? No one told me he was injured." Kaldur had gotten up and was standing at the arm of the couch.

"Canary… had to beat the… living nappali fény… out of me." Nightwing said between shallow breaths.

"What did she do that for?" Gar asked.

"To restart his heart." Artemis leaned closer to Nightwing and put a comforting had on his back.

"Oh…" Gar trailed off and looked at his feet. Another minute passed and Nightwing slowly sat back.

"I'm okay now." He closed his eyes and laid his head back on the couch. He cracked one lid open to see the group still staring at him. "Guys please. Just mill around, read, cook, run, stare at static. I'm _fine_. I just need a little normal right now."

"Alright, normal it is!" Wally zipped around the couch. "I'm initiating a challenge. Racecars!" He changed the channel and flipped on his favorite video game. He tossed one of the controllers to Kaldur.

"This is one race you will not win my friend." Kaldur smiled. Wally lost that one. Kaldur played against Connor and lost. Connor beat Gar, then Gar and Artemis; with only one available hand she needed the extra help.

"It's your turn Nightwing." Connor said. There was no reply. "Nightwing?" Artemis turned her head to look at him. They had all been so enthralled in the game they hadn't noticed Nightwing had fallen asleep.

"Is he asleep?" Wally asked looking up at him. Connor focused on Nightwing for a moment.

"Yeah." Connor relaxed and Artemis gave him a questioning look. He nodded his head at NIghtwing's chest. "I was just making sure everything sounded normal."

"Oh." Artemis looked at the sleeping boy next to her. _Well, I guess he isn't really a boy anymore, is he. _

Asleep he looked so peaceful. It was easy to forget sometimes how young he actually was. He had a lot of responsibility for an eighteen-year-old kid. But somehow he managed it, and still had a smile for the Team at the end of the day. Gently Artemis brought her hand up and brushed his hair away from his eyes; she adjusted his sunglasses so they wouldn't fall off.

_I hope he'll come out of this okay._

* * *

Author's Note: I don't know if Hungarian is in fact his first language but it sure makes for an interesting plot point, doesn't it? I'm thinking part 11 will be the last one unless I come up with more things I want to happen. Read and Review please!

"Köszönöm. Ez tökéletes."- _Thank you. This is perfect._

_nappali fény- daylights_

__**Updated Author's Note: **Due to the number of comments about it I feel like I need to address this. I realize that most gypsies speak Romani but it is not a written language so I couldn't translate to that. I was going to use Romanian but when I compared it to Hungarian, I just liked the way it looked on the page better. It's as simple as that.


	11. Falling Into Old Routines

**AN: This will not be the final part of 'Why do we fall?' I am setting it up for a sequel. For those of you that didn't see my note at the bottom of Falling Asleep, I would like to reiterate that I know that most gypsies speak Romani, Romanian is pretty close to that, but I liked the way Hungarian looked on the page. Aside from all of that I wouldn't mind if you guys went back and enjoyed the story without worrying about that. There were some pretty intense moments I think.**

Dinah opened the door and walked inside. The room was dark except for the lamp on the table next to the two over stuffed armchairs. They were both empty.

_That's odd. He was supposed to be in here already._ She looked around the room, thinking maybe she had missed him in the shadows.

"Nightwing? Nightwing?" She came farther into the room. She went over to the far corner and turned around with her hands on her hips. "Richard Grayson, where are you?"

"I'm right here." His face was suddenly in front of her. Upside down.

"Ahh!" Dinah dropped her clipboard and put her hand over her mouth to keep her frightened shriek from escalating into a full sonic blast. Dick was hanging from the rafters by his knees. He kicked out his legs and dropped to the ground, more gracefully than a boy of his size should have been able. She sighed and picked up her clipboard. "Don't do that to me. It's bad enough when Bruce just appears out of nowhere."

Dick just smiled at her. "Sorry Dinah. It's just habit you know."

She swatted his shoulder with her clipboard. "Bruce and his drilling. I'll say this for him: the man has brilliant training tactics. Alright, have a seat." She sat down in one of the chairs; Dick sat down across from her, setting his sunglasses next to the lamp.

"Why do I have to do this? I don't think psychoanalyzing me is going to help." He was serious now.

"It doesn't hurt to talk about things." She stretched her hand out and laid it gently on his knee. "Besides, this is as much for my benefit as it is for yours."

Dick lifted one hand up and laid it against his chest; Dinah could see the distortion in his sweater from the bandages still wrapped around his broken ribs.

"I'm healing you know." He looked up at her.

"I know." She wandered if his mind was healing as well as his body. They sat in silence for a minute. The quiet wasn't uncomfortable, but she knew Dick had something on his mind.

"I don't understand why it happened." He finally said quietly.

"M'Gann lost control of her powers. Don't worry; her control is already getting better." Two weeks of solid training with J'onn and Bruce was paying off.

"That's not what I'm talking about." Dick's voice was quiet. Dinah waited but he didn't continue.

"Go on. You can tell me."

"I froze." He looked up at her, distress evident in his eyes. "I've seen plenty of people fall off of things since my parents died. Heck, I've fallen off of more things I shouldn't have been climbing than I can count. But I've never just shut down like that."

"Everyone has moments like that. I remember my first mission with Batman. I was completely surrounded by drug dealers and my throat just closed up. I couldn't make a sound." She smiled at the memory. "Bruce didn't even have to hear me call for help. He was just at my side in a second, taking out bad guys left and right. After that, he kicked my butt in hand-to-hand training until I could hold my own. I still can't beat him though. Or you anymore for that matter."

"That's different."

"How?" Dinah eyed him seriously.

"Artemis almost died because of me."

"And you almost died because of M'Gann." Dick bit his lip and looked at the floor. Dinah sighed. "Dick, look at me. You are eighteen; no one expects you to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, not even Bruce."

Dick just looked up at her and nodded.

"You're good at this job, Dick. Your Team trusts you."

"I guess I've earned it if Superboy trusts me." He smiled a little. Dinah smiled back.

He heard the door creaking open before she did. He snatched up his sunglasses and vaulted into the rafters. She heard a quiet gasp and new he had jarred his ribs. Glaring, she turned to the door to confront the intruder.

"Hey, Dinah. You've got another customer out here. I think Roy needs a pep talk."

"Oliver! You're supposed to knock. Some people in this mountain still have secret identities to protect!" She yelled. He knew the rules.

"There is nothing in this room that I haven't seen before."

"Oliver! Not in front of the kids!" She threw her clipboard at him. Of course, he caught it before it hit him in the face.

"What? What did I say?"

Dinah smiled as Dick let out a laugh.


	12. Why Do We Fall?

Dick continued to laugh as they watched Dinah chase Oliver out of the room and out into the hall. She shut the door behind them.

"I have a hard time believing he didn't say that on purpose." Bruce said from the shadows, ever irritated by Green Arrow's presence. "She's right you know."

"I know." Dick had jumped back into the rafters where Bruce had been sitting through his whole session with Black Canary. "It doesn't make it any easier though. I'm still worried."

Bruce put his hand on Dick's shoulder. "Artemis is going to be fine; M'Gann is going for a world record in meditation. You'll be well enough to go on missions in a few weeks. What is there you have to worry about?" He knew he was being over optimistic, but he wanted to help him cheer up. Even if he did have to sound like an idiot to do it.

Dick was silent for a minute and Bruce was afraid he wouldn't respond. "I still don't know why I froze. What if it happens again?"

He had asked himself this question many times. He had watched the surveillance tapes enough times to memorize the scene. Every time he expected it to change, for Nightwing to stand up and grab Artemis' hand. Every time he was frozen in a crouch, staring at the billowing smoke and falling girl in front of him, a horrified look on his face. "Artemis is one of your best friends. You haven't had to see someone close to you fall since your parents."

"I've seen you fall off of plenty of fire escapes. And construction sites. And moving vehicles."

He hadn't realized he was that prone to accidents. _It's nothing more training can't fix. _"Now that is a different situation. I wasn't in a position where I needed saving. Besides, I'm Batman." Dick snorted at his comment. He didn't often pull out the Batman excuse, but it was true.

"Okay, so what am I supposed to do about it?" Bruce had thought about that too. This wasn't something that thousands of dollars and hours of therapy could fix.

"Why do we fall, Dick?"

"Um… gravity?" Dick answered.

He laughed. Actually laughed. "So we can learn to pick ourselves up again."

"Who said that?"

"My father." He heard Dick's mouth fall open. Bruce hardly ever talked about his parents; sometimes it hurt too much for either of them to think about. "When something bad happens, we can wallow in our sorrows, or we can chose to be stronger for it. It all depends on you." Bruce squeezed his shoulder gently.

Dick sighed. "I'll try Bruce."

* * *

**Author's Note: Despite the title of this chapter it is not the end of this story. Part 13 will be up soon. It will be an epilogue of sorts that will set up the sequel to this story. I know some of you may be thinking, "Why does this need a sequel?" But trust me, Batman does not believe in things just 'happening'. Everything happens FOR A REASON!**


	13. Epilogue: To Be Continued

Diana closed the door to Nightwing's room. After the accident, the entire team had been staying in the mountain and she and Dinah had taken to checking on all of them at least twice during the night. Nightwing was still sleeping fitfully. A blue glow down the hall lead her to the briefing room.

Once again, he stood scowling at the monitors. He pressed replay for what she was sure was the hundredth time that night. With a deep sigh she walked forward to stand behind him.

"Bruce." She raised her hand to his shoulder.

"I already told Clark I don't need to sleep." His voice was almost a growl.

"Everyone needs to sleep. Even Batman."

Bruce scrubbed his hands over his face. "I'll sleep when I get to the bottom of this."

_Always looking to solve a mystery. _She brought her other hand up and attempted to work some of the tension out of the back of his neck. If anyone else had been around she wouldn't have dared such a familiar touch. She was a little startled to see him reach up and twine his fingers with hers. She leaned forward to look over his shoulder at the screen. It was playing different views from the security cameras around the satellite tower. "What are you looking for?"

He pressed replay again. "I do not believe in coincidences. That bomb was at the communications center for a reason."

"Someone wanted to hurt people. Villains don't always have a higher motive." She looked at the side of his face. He was blinking sleepily. "Bruce, you aren't going to see anything if you can't keep your eyes open."

"That's it!" He released her hand leaned forward; he squinted at the screen.

"Bruce-", she started but he cut her off.

"There!" He pressed pause and the frame stilled. The camera view was from the building across the street from the communications center. In the lower part of the frame, she could see the Team filing into the bioship with Superboy holding Nightwing carefully in his arms.

"I don't see anything." Diana stepped closer to him to peer at the screen.

"Right there." He pressed a few buttons until the upper right corner of the screen was enlarged.

"Simon." Diana exclaimed. She looked at him for answers.

"That's not all. Squint."

She was a little apprehensive but looked back at the screen and squinted. She almost gasped. On the side of the building was a huge question mark. Made entirely of Joker cards.

"Bruce what's going on?"

He sighed heavily then turned to look at her.

"They know."

* * *

**Author's Note: So obviously Batman knows something. You'll just have to tune in to the sequel (As yet untitled. 'Why do we fall?' will be in the summary though.) to find out why he was watching the security tapes. And just to clarify, "They know." means Simon, The Joker, and The Riddler know who Nightwing is.**

**Update 8/23: The sequel has the pending title 'Why so serious?' Can anyone guess why? **


End file.
